The year was 1955 and a young orphan, Lewis (Owen Vaccaro), is on the way to New Zebedee, Michigan to live with his uncle Jonathan, who has a little secret hidden inside the walls of his creepy house.
An outcast at school, Lewis tries to fit in by befriending Tarby (Sunny Suljic), who happens to be one of the cool kids. Their budding friendship, aside from the interesting house he lives in, is the only thing he’s got going. Which is why, when Tarby suddenly didn’t want to hang out with Lewis, the social outcast was forced to reveal his uncle’s secret: that he was a warlock.
To make Tarby hang out with him once more, he takes the boy home, with the promise of showing him some magic tricks.
What happens next triggers a series of very unfortunate events that would endanger not just the lives of Lewis’ family but the entire world as well.
Based on the 1973 classic novel from John Bellairs, “The House With A Clock In Its Walls” is a fantasy comedy from one of the masters of horror, director Eli Roth.
There lies the challenge: how does a director like Roth create a spine-chilling horror that’s not too terrifying for his main audience: children.
Filled with magical special effects, the movie succeeds in appealing to kids (and even adults) with inanimate objects brought to life and magic effects to complement the eerie production design.
It succeeds in becoming a family-friendly horror movie that hooks you in. While there were several minutes of drag during the first half, Jack Black’s (Jonathan Barnavelt) quips are funny enough to make up for the lack of plot movements. His banters with the youthful looking Cate Blanchett (Mrs. Zimmerman) are also a source of laughs especially during times of down time.
So is it any good? Of course. Especially if you’re 15 years old and below. My problem with it is it lacked the gore and actual terror, two words that are automatically associated with the name Eli Roth. And while it’s the movie’s fault, since it’s designed for kids, those are what I was missing.
But that’s just me.
I’m glad that the movie had Cate Blanchett. She definitely brought star power in the movie.
Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures
